Mudryk cleared to return after doping ban lifted

Chelsea's 25-year-old winger was sidelined since November 2024 following a positive drug test for meldonium, a prohibited substance found in low concentration in his sample two years prior.

Mudryk challenged the ban through the Court of Arbitration for Sport. His case benefited from revised World Anti-Doping Agency testing standards that, while not retroactive, would have prevented charges if his sample were analysed under current procedures.

The FA acknowledged the advance in testing protocols, confirming that "had his sample been analysed under today's technical requirements, it would not have been reported as a positive test."

Under the resolution agreed with WADA, Mudryk accepted he had committed the anti-doping rule violations but is considered to have served his ineligibility period. He is now eligible to play immediately, according to the FA's statement.

Chelsea signed Mudryk for £88m from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023. The club welcomed the outcome, highlighting the scientific advances that underpinned the settlement.